Saturday, June 28, 2014

School is out and summer has arrived, time is abundant and the sun
never seems to go down; a perfect storm for children to fill baseball
fields across the country. Pass by most of the spacious greens now and
they’re rarely used unless you are part of the elite who can afford the
exorbitant rates collected by travel teams across the country. Securing
not only the pocketbooks of parents nationwide, they’ve taken a firm
grasp of the permits that control the access to these fields.

Standing in the face of these ever-expanding travel teams is David
Thompson, a crusader for his town’s local Babe Ruth program. Thompson is
the central figure in Tom Swyers’ novel, “Saving Babe Ruth,”
which is based upon a true story of one parent’s fight to keep the
field that has served his community so dearly for the continued use of
all of its residents, instead of the exclusive group of the outsider
travel program.

Saving Babe Ruth / Tom Swyers

This war of sorts is playing out in communities all over the country,
with these hyper-selective travel teams starting at earlier ages,
creating a chasm that are causing the community based programs to
suffer. Suddenly at age 10, the travel team coaches are telling young
Johnny that he is too good to be playing for the “in-house” league, as
his career trajectory will be poisoned by playing with such inferior
talent. Fields are going empty because these travel teams have swallowed
the permits just to keep the recreational leagues from “ruining” their
playgrounds.

Swyers documents how Thompson’s program is suffering from the
presence of Rob Barkus and his Elite Travel Baseball League. Barkus is
working in concert with the high school program to stop the kids from
playing Babe Ruth, and monopolize access to the Babe Ruth fields. Very
quickly Thompson realizes that he is not involved in a mere dispute, but
an all out war. Barkus wants it all from Thompson, his fields, his
players, and his program, stopping at nothing to turn the entire
community against him.

At times Thompson is quixotic in his quest to save the program, even
risking his own marriage to defend his territory and clear his name.
Often he is met with indifference from parents who are blinded by
visions of college scholarships and the effect that travel baseball is
having on their community; travel ball is turning America’s pastime into
an elitest pursuit. Yet despite the roadblocks put in his way, Thompson
works feverishly to defend the opportunities of the silent majority,
the kids.

Baseball fans will enjoy the passion that Swyers has put into
Thompson’s efforts to keep the Babe Ruth fields available for kids of
all levels. Parents are fighting this battle in every neighborhood,
watching their local programs dwindle to benefit the select few playing
for the travel team. Swyers reminds us why this is a war worth fighting;
youth baseball is a sport that should be played by everyone, not just
those with the financial means to wear embroidered uniforms and matching
warm-up suits.

After watching Martinez have his likeness permanently installed in Monument Park, I immediately thought of another Yankee first baseman who won four World Series rings, Moose Skowron. He was a fixture at Old-Timers Day until his passing in 2012. Martinez and Skowron's career stats as a member of the Yankees are below.

Does Martinez's induction warrant consideration for Skowron? Is Martinez truly deserving of the honor, or was this decision motivated by reasons that have to do more with finances and less with baseball?